Titans hire Vrabel as head coach

Los Angeles (AFP) – The NFL’s Tennessee Titans on Saturday said Mike Vrabel will be their new head coach, taking over from Mike Mularkey who was fired after the team’s second-round playoff loss.

Vrabel, who served as defensive coordinator with the Houston Texans last season, is scheduled to be introduced at a press conference on Monday at Saint Thomas Sports Park, the Titans said in an announcement on their website.

Vrabel, a three-time Super Bowl winner as a player, has four years of NFL coaching experience but just one at the coordinator level. He was the Texans’ linebackers coach from 2014 to 2016.

He replaces Mike Mularkey, who was fired as the Titans’ head coach on Monday despite taking the team to the playoffs, where they won a first-round game against Kansas City.

“This is an incredible opportunity and one I have been preparing for my entire football life,” Vrabel said in a statement.

“I am excited to get to work and that work starts now. We want to build a culture around winning, competitiveness and toughness. Everything we do is going to be geared towards winning and being physical.”